They say they want it. Then, after some more begging, they get serious. Now it’s more than wanting that toy; now they “need” it. But you smile because you know better, because, more than likely, in a few days, that toy will probably be lost, broken, or stuffed in the closet as your youngster moves on to the next shiny thing.
And shiny things can be attractive and appealing. As many of you probably already know, I’m a fan of the old classic comedy TV series, “The Andy Griffith Show.” I’ve written about the series in previous columns and have enjoyed leading a class on a couple of occasions at church on the moral values that were so often featured in the show.
That’s where the idea of shiny things come in. Probably the main storyline throughout the series was the relationship between Sheriff Andy Taylor and his son, Opie. In one episode, Opie is being influenced by a hobo, (played by Buddy Ebsen, who would later star in “The Beverly Hillbillies”) who has drifted into Mayberry. Opie is being swayed by the hobo to put off doing chores and slipping away from school to go fishing. (The hobo showed Opie how he makes fishing lures, shiny fishing lures.) The hobo lifestyle looks mighty appealing to young Opie.
When Andy confronts the hobo, the hobo tells Andy that he should let Opie decide for himself how he wants to live. Andy’s response is a message to parents and to anyone responsible for young folks:
“You can’t let a young’un decide for himself. He’ll grab at the first flashy thing with shiny ribbons on it. Then, when he finds out there’s a hook in it, it’s too late. Wrong ideas come packaged with so much glitter that it’s hard to convince them that other things might be better in the long run, and all a parent can do is say, ‘Wait. Trust me,’ and try to keep temptations away.”
Yes, young people are often attracted to shiny things, and often, too late, like that fishing lure, they find that there’s a hook in it. That’s why parents and the other adults in their lives need to be there to help them navigate and avoid those shiny things that may turn out to be harmful.
But let’s be honest, youngsters are not the only ones often attracted to shiny things. And the culture around us can make those shiny things so attractive, even to us adults. It’s shiny, we want it, and we want it now. But that sounds too selfish, so we will come up with an excuse, disguised as a reason, in order to say we need it. (That’s the adult way to do it.) The shiny thing can be a thing that we can’t afford. It can be a lifestyle, or a relationship, that is destructive to us and those around us. And yes, often too late, we find there was a hook in it.
The good news is that we don’t have to be caught by the lure of shiny things. We have a heavenly Father who will guide us if we will only listen when He says, “Wait, trust Me.”